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REGURGITATOR
+ DZ Deathrays + Custard
+ Butterfingers + Glitoris
@ Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide,
27th May 2023
(Live Review)

Review by Colin Reid

Photos by Elise De Simoni Photography

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Regurgitator / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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It makes you feel really happy to walk into the Thebbie Theatre and find that it is full almost to capacity. It is especially good when it is full for an all-Australian line up.  The event is a celebration of Regurgitator’s Unit album and like any really good celebration it has been held in a great location and features a stellar line up of old friends.

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Glitoris / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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Glitoris get the party started. Not for the first time they are opening up for The Gurg and as always, they don’t disappoint. Featuring a powerful assault of political lyrics, power pop punk, plenty of humour and trademark make-up, they are so exciting. Guitarist Andrew’s wrap around glitter mascara like a sparkling mask of Zorro and singer Keven 007’s hair stronger than Goku from Dragonball Z.

These girls seriously rock with style and purpose.

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Butterfingers / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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Next up is Butterfingers, the first of four bands from Brisbane.  As I was driving to tonight’s gig I was thinking how often the refrain from their ironically titled 2004 single “I Love Work” pops into my head whenever I’m jacked off with working. Their set has a few technical issue which is a shame but it doesn’t spoil my enjoyment. I’m pleased to spot a number of Butterfingers t-shirts in the crowd and they are all getting into the band too.

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Custard / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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It is really is so good to be able to see Custard play live again after so many years. They have such great pop songs and were a staple of late 90s Triple J. They are quirky, cute Australian fun.  Matthew Strong’s curly hair may have gone grey but his guitar sounds as good as ever and I loved the improvisation using a beer bottle as a guitar slide. Midway through the set Dave and Glenn swap guitar and drums for a few numbers giving Glenn the chance to sing us “Music is Crap” before Dave is restored to lead vocals to bring the set home. “Girls Like That” induces a big crowd sing-a-long and they close out with a massive version of “Apartment” that has the whole dancefloor bouncing.  Just before that last number, Dave answers a request from a fan in the crowd with a “yeah, totally” before unsticking his setlist and passing it into the crowd. It is the little things that make me love this band.

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DZ Deathrays / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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We make a quick break for a much-needed trip to the food truck and the bars, this is a mini festival after all, and make it back just in time for the start of DZ Deathrays.  Incredible! They are so bloody loud! The energy and movement, the power and passion on display.  Touring bass player, Violent Soho’s Luke Henery is such a great addition to their sound. He is covering every bit of the stage, hunched over his guitar with his hair flailing and whipping around. Drummer Simon Ridley is pounding his kit with such power they are getting smashed, he wants the biggest sound ever and the only way to get it is to beat those drums to death! They sound great and wow what a spectacle. Singer Shane Parsons asks “Adelaide how are you doing?” there is a big roar from the crowd and the rock n roll salute of a sea of metal horn hands are thrust into the air.  How do you describe the genre that DZ play? Kind of a mix of melodic heavy power metal punk? TBH I don’t know for sure but if you like them then the great news is that the songs that they played off the soon to be released new album “RIFF” sounded just as good as their older numbers.

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Regurgitator / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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The Gurg hit the stage wearing matching yellow tracksuits; “We f#%kin suck” they joke. Can you believe they are back at the Thebbie for the first time since the 1990s when they were supporting The Prodigy. They kick off the set with “Sucked a lot of cock” and the crowd goes nuts.  There is something really special about this band, the camaraderie and humour from Ben and Quan is beautiful and infectious. You help but feel happy to see Quan on stage, lighting strike guitar strap and a smile so genuine it lights the room. “Why is Adelaide always so good to play” asks Ben, he loves us and we love them.  I really like the way that although the gig is all about honouring the Unit album, they don’t start the set with it and instead play a mix of singles and lesser well-known tracks from other albums.

After a costume change into matching futuristic silver jump suits, they are back accompanied by ‘The Bunny Rabbit’.  Custard are a quirky band and in a very different way so are Regurgitator, both uniquely Australian.  The Rabbit leads the crowd conducting us and cajoling us to greater engagement with the band. Quan demonstrates that he is now over 50 with a straight up dad joke about having an Everyday Formula to work out the next song on the album is before they launch into that very track.

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Regurgitator / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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The atmosphere in the crowd is brilliant and we are swept along with the silliness of the rabbit. “Black Bugs” is another big crowd sing-a-long. The very strange “Unit” is appropriately dedicated to anyone who is a little strange, I can’t help but think there is nothing stranger than a man in a rabbit suit playing a keytar synth! The band keep smashing out the album, the crowd sings the chorus on “I will lick your arsehole” before the big singles “Modern Life” and “Polyester Girl” take us to an even higher level.  This really is such a great album. “Song Formerly Known As” was missed in the earlier running order and is slipped back in just before the end.

There is a comic moment with a collapsed rabbit who needs rescuing by Ben and Quan before they launch into a frenetic version of “I wanna be a nudist” and the roof is lifted off one last time by “Kong Foo Sing”. What a top night, I hope Unit has a birthday party every year so that we can do this all again soon.

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Regurgitator / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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Check out Elise De Simoni’s full gallery of this event HERE

Check out Adrian Thomson’s full gallery of the Perth event HERE

Check out Michael Gow’s full gallery of the Melbourne event HERE

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Regurgitator / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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Check out REGURGITATOR below
Website – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter 

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Regurgitator / Photo – Elise De Simoni Photography

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Press Release 7th March 2023 (below) HERE

REGURGITATOR
announce
UNITS

A national tour celebrating
their iconic 1997 album
UNIT
joined by a
stellar lineup of friends

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AMNPLIFY – DB